Your comments on the failure of "Supertoy HL2 rice" project, which is the second failed project (after Blue Energy) introduced by the President's advisor.
This shows the President's advisors have little technological understanding or it implies they are the wrong group of people to do this job. If the President can be misled by such projects, the country's wealth will be uselessly spent. Anyone who wants to conduct research using state funds must be responsible for their work.
IVAN SUGI
Jakarta
It could be a matter of nepotism. Normally, Supertoy seeds should have been certified by the relevant institutions before going to the farmers.
Why did it reach the President? Why did the President dare to make it public during the harvest season and assure the farmers that it was the best seed?
FASRUDIN ARIEF BUDIMAN
Jakarta
On the so-called fraudulent Blue Energy and Supertoy failure, why is it that the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and the existing rice institute, if any, have been silent all this time?
In the Philippines, they have the IRRI (the International Rice Research Institute). I am sure we have a similar rice institute in Indonesia, too. But then why did we allow our busy President to get entangled with such details? Are we not doing our homework?
MOELJONO ADIKOESOEMO
Jakarta
Any finding that may affect large numbers of people should be examined in a laboratory before it is released to the public. In the case of Supertoy rice this would have enable the public to know the quality of the seed.
It is understandable that farmers were outraged with the government because after waiting for months, they could not harvest their rice.
How much money had they invested for hundreds of hectares of rice fields?
The government must be more careful in dealing with such issues.
YURLENI LUBIS
Bekasi, West Java
With Supertoy HL2 on stage, it seems this country is fond of playing with toys rather than paying serious attention to research results conducted by govt research agencies like LIPI.
As shown in an Expo earlier last month in Bali, in as many as 100 (Indonesian) technological innovations including in agriculture from the past five years, only four had made to the market.
The rest have ended up in the institute's museum -- because of a lack of funds. If the govt is really serious about overcoming problems of food and energy shortages (to name just a few), reexamining LIPI's innovations is worth trying.
M. RUSDI
Jakarta
